The reinvented CCAD Juried Art Fair took place April 13, welcoming hundreds of visitors and customers and showing the work of close to 100 alumni and students.

The fair underwent some exciting changes this year, the most important being a change from first-come, first-serve vendor sign-up (which resulted in vendor slots being filled in less than three minutes) to a juried process.

“Changing to this format allowed more students, alumni, faculty, and staff an opportunity to apply,” said Janie Robinson, assistant director of career services. “It also ensured that we didn’t miss out on showcasing a fantastic artist because they missed the very small sign-up window.”

The new application process provided vendors a four-week window of time to apply and submit work online through ZAPP (the same service used by the popular Columbus Arts Festival). Submissions were then judged by three jurors: Ken Emerick, Anne Holman, and Laura Kuenzli.

Emerick is the director for individual artist grants and the Percent for Art program at the Ohio Arts Council (OAC); Holman is an adjunct faculty member at CCAD and a Fine Arts alumna (CCAD 2002), as well as the owner and creator of Anne Holman Jewelry; and Kuenzli is the owner of Rivet Gallery, located in the Short North, Columbus’ arts district.

Michael Bonardi at the fair in April

“We wanted this event to be career prep for students,” Robinson said. “This juried process now gives students a realistic perspective of how art fairs work in the real world.”

In addition to students learning how to apply for a juried fair, participating artists were exposed to the creative professionals on the jury. The judges for the fair were a particularly rich source for networking.

“We really enjoyed meeting so many of the artists who participated in the sale,” Emerick said. “I was very impressed at the level of professionalism and knowledge of the exhibiting artists and how engaging they were to talk with. We collected cards from a number of people to pass on to a few curators and collectors. We also purchased a number of beautiful works.”

Of course the ability to network with repeat customers at the fair remains a big benefit. Fine Arts alumnus and admissions counselor Michael Bonardi (CCAD 2004) comments that he sees familiar faces at every sale.

Bonardi has participated in more than 20 CCAD art sales, as both a student and an alumnus. His work has ranged from photography to porcelain vases.

Customers also noticed the difference in this year’s sale format. Aaron Bucco and his wife have attended CCAD Art Fairs since 2008.

“I think the switch to a juried show is an important step toward maintaining the integrity and reputation of the sale,” Bucco said. “I see it as a showcase for dedicated new and established artists.”

Maxe Smith at Art Fair in April

Through the sales, Bucco and his wife have acquired a number of pieces, the most recent being from MFA alumna Kristin Baird. They comment that her path and style is ever-changing and they love coming back to talk to her about her current work.

“My wife and I see CCAD as a significant contributor to the energy of Columbus,” Bucco said. “The artistic influence it has over our city is important, and for that reason alone we are happy to not only attend the art fairs, but also support artists whose work we find compelling.”

Illustration alumna Maxe Smith (CCAD 2009), who has also participated in sales both as a student and an alumna.

Smith has participated in close to 10 sales and looks at them as an opportunity to not only show her work, but also stay connected with the school and help the students.

“The sale really gives students the ability to make connections and communicate with other artists that are out there in the real world selling their work,” Smith said. “This juried process allows students to grow and have a more polished presentation, and it also gives local businesses the chance to get involved with the jury.”

The CCAD Art Sale has become a staple in the Columbus community as a great place to buy local art. More than 100 vendors, consisting of CCAD alumni, faculty, staff, and students, will be set up on Saturday, Dec. 1 to display and sell their work in the Loann Crane Center for Design.

Fine Arts alumna Jerrica Fields (2011) will be participating in her fifth sale this winter. She’ll be selling handcrafted and crocheted jewelry designs in copper and sterling silver, along with her paper goods that include hand-bound notebooks, journals, planners, cards, and magnets.

“There are people at CCAD who are proud of me, and I want to show them how much I have grown because of their help and continued support,” Fields said about why she returns to CCAD to sell her work. “Every year I have repeat customers who tell me they can’t wait to see what new design I’ll come up with—that alone makes what I do worth it.”

CCAD’s doors open at 9 a.m. for first-choice admission, and general admission is 10 a.m.–2 p.m. The spring sale welcomed more than 1,400 customers and raised more than $5,000 through admission fees, which goes straight into the scholarship fund.

Michael Bonardi at the Spring 2012 CCAD Art Sale

“People who attend the sale, especially in the first-choice time period, know how important this sale is to us [the vendors],” Fields said. “We get to show them what we’ve learned and how we are incorporating it into our daily lives as artists and what their money is helping facilitate. People who come to an art college to buy art are here to see what CCAD artists are all about, including craftsmanship, sweat, ambition, pride, and good old-fashioned hard work.”

Fields spends weeks preparing for the sale. After taking inventory of her pieces and hand-crafting her business cards she does a mock-up of her display.

“I have grown so much as an artist, so I love to see the students at the sale and offer them some advice and encouragement,” Fields said.

One of those students is Illustration senior Wes Talbott. He will be selling his prints at what will be his third CCAD Art Sale.

“The Hunter” by Wes Talbott

“Having a table at the sale helps me understand how the general public reacts to my work,” Talbott said. “The response you get from the trained eye of a teacher can be a lot different than the response you get from a customer; both are very helpful to hear.”

Fine Arts alumnus and CCAD admissions counselor Michael Bonardi (2004) is a seasoned professional when it comes to the sale, with this December sale marking his 24th: eight as a student and 16 as an alumnus.

Bonardi will be selling his blown glass, porcelain, digital photography, and other experimental photographic works.

“For the sale I try to keep a steady inventory of work,” Bonardi said. “Every year I try to add something new into what I present, whether it is a new body of work or different display structures.”

Bonardi’s home entryway doubles as a storage space and gallery for his current work.

“The customer that comes to the CCAD Art Sale knows that all the vendors have a common bond of being a part of the CCAD family,” Bonardi said. “And by coming to the sale they are not only supporting our work, but they are supporting future CCAD artists and students.”

The CCAD Winter Art Sale is Saturday, Dec. 1. Enter at 9 a.m. for first-choice admission ($50) and 10 a.m. for general admission ($5). Come celebrate art, the Columbus community, and above all our CCAD vendors. Click here for more information on the sale.

We do our best to get most of the news you submit to us onto the CCAD News Blog, but because there are more than 10,000 of you making news all over the world, not everything can make it into the blog. We’re glad to have another venue where we can share everything with you—this newsletter’s classnotes.

You can submit classnotes via the easy-to-use form on the alumni landing page. We only post career-related successes, awards, exhibitions, and publications, but we’d also love to know when you move, get married, or have children—just use that same form.

Now, without further ado, your classnotes from June, July, and August 2012.

Richard Cowdrey’s illustration for the children’s book “Searching for the You We Adore”

We do our best to get most of the news you submit to us onto the CCAD News Blog, but since there are more than 10,000 of you making news all over the world, not everything can make it into the blog. We’re glad to have another venue where we can share everything with you—this newsletter’s classnotes.

You can submit classnotes via the easy-to-use form on the alumni landing page. We only post career-related successes, awards, exhibitions, and publications, but we’d also love to know when you move, get married, or have children—just use that same form.

Now, without further ado, your classnotes from March, April, and May 2012.

These are Things, founded by Jen Adrion ’08 and Omar Noory ’08, was featured in two trade publications (read more here) and was used as a case study for a New York Times bestselling author’s book (read more here).

Some people paint using a paintbrush, but not Fine Arts alumnus and CCAD admissions advisor Michael Bonardi (CCAD 2004), who uses a PVC pipe to create the artwork in his solo exhibition Dissecting the Dynamic Brushstroke at Brothers Drake Meadery in Columbus, OH, throughout April.

Bonardi’s exhibition presents a microscopic view of the act of painting and the marks that can be left behind on a canvas.

“I like to explore the potential of each medium and material I work with,” Bonardi says. “This work shows that the brush can limit findings and what the end piece can become.”

Bonardi says he has always tested the boundaries of his work and likes to leave everything open for the viewers’ imagination. He works with a variety of media ranging from glass blowing to ceramics.

“I like to leave my work in black and white and not use color,” Bonardi says. “Leaving it without color allows the person to be able to attach their own emotions to the piece without color and the mood deciding it for them.”

Bonardi has a busy season ahead of him. He recently sold work at the CCAD Spring Art Sale and has another exhibition with a reception August 24 at JH Museum.

Dissecting the Dynamic Brushstroke is open through April, with an opening reception April 20, 6–9 p.m.